Malawi Police arrest three people for murder and removing body parts for rituals

Malawi Police in Chikwawa have arrested three people on suspicion that they killed two men in cold blood before cutting off their private parts, it has been confirmed.

Benjamin: Suspects committed the offence in separate incidents

Chikwawa Police Station Public Relations Officer, Constable Foster Benjamin, confirmed on Wednesday that the suspects identified as Benito Patrao, 24, Damiyano James, 21 and Moses Ndaluza, 32 were arrested on Sunday after they committed the offence in separate incidents.

“Patrao and James who come from Chafudzika in Traditional Authority Ndakwera, on the night of November 30, 2017 allegedly killed 20 year old Frank Yakobe and removed his private parts,” Benjamin said.

He explained that in the second incident which occurred on the same night at Julius Village in Traditional Authority Makhwira in the district, Ndaluza also from Julius Village, is suspected to have murdered a 70 year old man only known as Kaphelaphela in his house.

“The deceased, who was a traditional doctor, was found dead without private parts and right arm,” added Benjamin. He said police investigations led to the arrest of the three on Sunday.

The police publicist said the three have since been charged with murder and will be taken to court soon.

In a related development, police in the district are hunting for a 25 year old man, Zuze Biton, who is suspected to have killed a 60 year old man.

Biton is suspected to have killed Clemence Nyawata on Sunday at Tizola Village in Traditional Authority Katunga’s area following a quarrel that erupted over grazing land for the suspect’s livestock, according to Benjamin.

“It is alleged that the suspect was passing by the deceased’s garden with a herd of cattle on his way to a grazing field. This, however, did not please the deceased who warned the suspect against leaving his cattle unattended near his maize field.

“A heated argument broke out which ended up into a fight leaving the deceased seriously injured. He was taken to St. Montfort Hospital where he died while receiving treatment,” explained the PRO.

Benjamin said the postmortem indicated that Nyawata died as a result of severe internal injuries. The deceased came from Tizola Village in Traditional Authority Katunga in the district.

Chikwawa District has since registered four murder cases in just a space of one week. Meanwhile, police in the district have appealed to people to provide the security agency with information which could lead to the arrest of Zuze.